2025
International Perron-Art Award for Graphic, City of Fankenthal/Pfalz
Vita
INK Sonntag-Ramirez Ponce is an internationally acclaimed artist living in the Hessian Spessart mountains and in Andalusia/Spain. Her work brings together people from New York to Manilla.
Awards
VIA REGIA Residency Grant, Baroque Castle Königshain, Königshain/Görlitz (2025)
PowerWomanPower, Art award (2025), Aschaffenburg (First Prize)
Quote from the laudatory speech by Dr. Christiane Ladleif on the occasion of the award ceremony:
“As soon as you entered the foyer, you were greeted by a drawing that is impressive not only because of its sheer size: “Eve – spitting venom”. This drawing by the artist INK is programmatic for what you see in this exhibition: Femininity, forced into a role constraint as of old, is shown in this drawing to be self-determined and angry. Even in the original story of the Old Testament, the woman, Eve, is given the role of the seductress, who is blamed for our worldly troubles – is it not through her, through her fault, that we were driven out of the heavenly paradise? But in this drawing, we do not encounter the image of a woman reduced to her own seductive femininity who is too weak to resist the seduction of the serpent. No, quite the opposite: it is a modern, self-confident woman, clearly marked as belonging to our time by the arm tattoo and the modern short hairstyle, who breaks out of the role assigned to her and – supposedly not at all feminine – screams at the snake. Eve, the name that stands for all women, the primordial mother, seems to hurl all her venom at the snake…”
Quote from Andrea Lindholz, Member of the German Bundestag, on the occasion of the award ceremony:
“The expressiveness and highest artistic quality of the work “Eve – spitting venom” convinced the jury of the art competition … to a remarkable degree.”
Grant from the Foundation Kulturwerk of VG Bild-Kunst and the State Ministry for Culture and Media of the Federal Republic of Germany (2021)
Grant from the Foundation Kulturwerk of VG Bild-Kunst and the State Ministry for Culture and Media of the Federal Republic of Germany for the project “second image level”
Work grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation (2021)
Work grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation, D – Wiesbaden/Hesse
Project grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation (2020)
Project grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation, D – Wiesbaden/Hesse, for the art project “Faith – Hope – Love“
Residency grant at the Kunststation Kleinsassen – the art gallery in the district of Fulda (2020)
Residency grant at the Kunststation Kleinsassen – the art gallery in the district of Fulda – for the artproject “Faith – Hope – Love“
Work grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation (2020)
Work grant of the Hessian Cultural Foundation, D – Wiesbaden/Hesse
11th Nordhausen Graphic Art Award (2020) from the Ilsetraut Glock-Grabe Foundation (Audience-Award)
Museum Kunsthaus Meyenburg, D – Nordhausen/Thuringia
International Art Award 2019 of the Cultural Foundation of Sparkasse Karlsruhe „On the way - wherever?“ (Third Prize)
Quotation from the eulogy given by Prof. Dr. Pia Müller-Tamm, Head of Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, on the occasion of the presentation of the award:
“Once again, the jury was impressed by the mastery of INK … She is an excellent drawer who captures photorealistic effects with meticulousness on paper. However, her work under the title Out! – Raus! plays with two levels of reality. The detailed representation in the drawing is again increased by the second image plane of torn paper in its illusionistic effect. The depicted young man seems to be pushing out of the picture towards the viewer.
Those familiar with art history might think of the early self-portraits of Gustave Courbet: the frontal gaze, the tangled hair, the wriggling hands.
But while in the work of Courbet resonates a moment of despair that evokes the closeness of genius and madness, here the artist gives us the personification of unleashed power and exuberant vitality. I understand her image as a plea for self-empowerment, for optimism about the future … ”
Jury i.a.:
- Prof. Dr. Pia Müller-Tamm, Director of Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
- Dr. Brigitte Baumstark, Director of Städtischen Galerie Karlsruhe
- Prof. Dr. Götz Adriani, Founder of Kunsthalle Tübingen
- Prof. Erwin Gross, Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe
Art award 2018 of Kunststation Kleinsassen (Fulda), „SHE and HE, Who are WE?” (Audience-Award)
Quotation from the eulogy given by the curator Dr. Elisabeth Heil:
„Hardly a visitor could avoid … the charm of shining Adam, aware of his own charismatic effect. Not the serpent seduces, it is Adam who can tempt woman into rash action – or not. INKs modern EVEs light to themselves voluptuous-reflecting a cigarette, could-shoulder Adam (for the time being!), or they take up, at the same time brisk and fun-loving, the communication with the darting snake. It is not about a fruit, but about the advertising, flirtatious, desiring strife between man and woman. How will it turn out – when faced with this male superstar, who attracts everyone´s attention?”
Hans-Jürgen Imiela Memory Art Award, 27. Mainzer Art Award Eisenturm 2017 „Thoughts are free - drawings“ (Second Prize)
Quotation from the eulogy given by Dr. Nicole Nieraad-Schalke, cultural scientist:
“Eve – the realization- masterly….Our gaze gets caught in the astounding richness of detail of the portrayed Eve, which the “Drawer of Souls” INK was able to bring to paper with utmost sensitivity and mindfulness. The beauty of her drawing captivates us and takes our breath away.
At the same time, however, the work invites us to decode universal symbolics and recognize deeper truths. The decorative, colored apple creates a narrative moment that refers to a core scene of the Bible. Seductive sensuality is omnipresent in the drawing, but it remains open who or what seduces. The tempting dangling apple? Eve with a naked shoulder, sparkling earring and a coquettish grip on her hair? Or the mysterious “Shadow Launcher” that captivates Eve’s attention so much? At a deeper level, this passage of the Bible makes it clear that humans are not programmable, innocent robots, but have a free will and can choose between good and evil. Eve’s skepticism is reflected in Eve’s view, but also a ripening understanding that this choice opens the way to self-responsible life and thus leads to real freedom. Therefore, she does not even have to bite into the apple for this realization … ”
Incentive Award of the St. Leopold Piece Award 2011 for Humanitarian Commitment in Arts, A – Klosterneuburg / Vienna, International Art Award
Quotation from the eulogy given by the Hwst. Mr. General Abbot Provost Bernhard H. Backovsky on the occasion of the presentation of the award:
„ … a masterly drawing …“.
Jury i.a.:
- General Director Dr. Sabine Haag, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
- General Director Prof. Dr. Ronald de Leeuw, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
- Director Mag. Peter Weinhäupl, Leopold Museum, Vienna
International Art Award 2011 of the Cultural Foundation of Sparkasse Karlsruhe „Mirroring and Reflection“ (First Prize)
Quotation from the eulogy given by Prof. Dr. Müller-Tamm, Head of Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, on the occasion of the presentation of the award:
„… This broad range of meaning between mirroring and reflection and not least the astonishing graphic precision make this piece of work that captivating, exciting and thus worthy of the award.“
Jury i.a.:
- Prof. Dr. Pia Müller-Tamm, Director of Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
- Prof. Dr. Götz Adriani, Board Member of the Foundation of Kunsthalle Tübingen
Cultural Award of the Main-Kinzig District 2009
Quotation from the eulogy given the Chief Administrative Officer of the Main-Kinzig District, Erich Pipa, on the occasion of the presentation of the award:
„… her pieces of work have convinced the members of the jury for they challenge the viewer’s eye by many elaborate details. At first sight, one might think they are photographs. Only when looking at them more thoroughly and also longer, one will notice that the painted or drawn images have an unfamiliar and irritating effect.“
International Art Award 2008 of the Cultural Foundation of Sparkasse Karlsruhe „Modern Mobility“ (Second Prize)
Quotation from the eulogy given Prof. Dr. Rödiger-Diruf, Head of Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe ret., on the occasion of the presentation of the award:
„.. with unbelievable realism …. elaborate to every detail. The fascinatingly sensitive and at the same time material dealing … evidence extraordinary artistic ability.“
Jury i.a.:
- Prof. Dr. Götz Adriani, Board Member of the Foundation of Kunsthalle Tübingen
- Prof. Günther Wirth, Art Critic, Stuttgart